Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Home Again

It's days like today that make me wish I was still a SAHM.

Amanda is home sick ~ again. I had to call in last minute ~ again. My coworkers secretly hate me ~ again...

I'm feeling guilty for many reasons. One, because I have been pushing her to go to school. I can not help but say, "hon, there are kids with colds all over the place. You need to go, and try to shake it off and not miss anymore assignments." This is not what I would have said if I was still staying home. I would have taken her to be seen much sooner. Still, over the weekend, she seemed much better, and we spent a good portion of our time outside, at the pool and having fun, as I mentioned in my previous entry. So, I THOUGHT she was on the mend. So I've been pushing her. NOT like me at all... I don't want to let down my fellow colleagues, or my students that depend on me to get through the day. And this is no exaggeration. Every time I'm out, I go back to stories of how awful "her" day was. How can I not feel at fault for that? And yet, I know that family has always been my first priority, and I've been neglecting that priority by pushing her to go to school. I'm taking her to the doctor's this morning (I know, it's about time...) and perhaps they will give her something a bit more powerful than the otc medicine I've been giving her. My fear is that I've waited too long and she'll end up having pneumonia or something worse... Part of the pushing also stems from her teacher, who blamed her absences last quarter for the drop in grades. This was very upsetting for her, and for me, as I am diligent in making sure she is staying on track and getting any missed assignments. For some reason, when Amanda asked for assignments she had missed, her teacher would say she didn't have them at the moment but would get them to her. Then never did. Now I'm not completely naive to think the this might not be the complete story on Amanda's part, I can't imagine the teacher not giving her the missed work she requested and then marking her down as incomplete.... and yet, my daughter has always been at the top of her class until this year. Nothing she does is good enough for this lady, and that may just be her teaching style. Still, I can't see Amanda not approaching her, and then lying to me saying she did. Still again, she IS a preteen.... :-s

6 comments:

redsneakz
said...

There's no way to not feel guilty about not being home all day for the kids, despite that we need to do certain things. And especially you feel like an ogre for pushing the child to go to school if he or she is a little bit sick.

By the same token, there are lots of things going on; my allergies have been hellish, and so have my kids'; I've been sick twice this month already myself, and my boss too was out for a few days.

Out of curiosity, does the teacher have email? It could be a convenient way for you to reach the teacher and communicate in a non accusatory way to see what the status of Amanda's grades are this quarter. It might also allow you the chance to find out just what Amanda has/will miss and must make up.

I hope Amanda is feeling better and it is nothing serious.I know what you mean about the days as a stay at home mom.I loved those days; and how quickly they flew by.and I think we have all done the same thing; sent our kids off to school hoping they would make it thru the day and feel better and not worse.hope she feels better.Maria

Hhhmm . . . I am a little puzzled. I can't imagine a teacher not giving assignments to a child whose been out ill and then giving them incomplete's and marking their grade down.

My son was always such a wonderful boy, but we went through one year when he learned about telling partial truths and getting away with it. It was awful for me because I was up at the school defending him 'till the end . . . "I know my son . . . "

It turned out that he was throwing away his make-up assignments on the way home . . .

I had just become a teacher's aide at the school near my house and did weekly art projects at his school with his class, plus I taught art classes for children with a close friend on Saturday's. I think he was threatened by me being so busy and he did something to get my attention. His grades slipped a little, but thankfully, it didn't go on for too long before it all came to light!

Having been a working mom when my kids were younger, I find that I did the same thing. Willed them to get better with OTC medication.. holding off on doctor's visits because I didn't want to have to call off of work, yet again. It's tough, and I can relate to how your feeling. I don't know about where you live, but in California if you have a note from the doctor showing that's where you took your child, then they can't harrass you or use it against you in any way. It's considered a family emergency.